The European Commission President\u2019s proposed sanctions on Israel, while a belated step in the right direction, fall well short of what\u2019s required to stop the genocide in Gaza, according to Social Democrats foreign affairs spokesperson Patricia Stephenson.<\/p>\n
Senator Stephenson said:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are now almost two years into this devastating conflict, which has left more than 64,000 Gazans dead and countless more facing starvation. At every stage, the EU hierarchy \u2013 including President Ursula von der Leyen \u2013 have dragged their heels as the world watched helplessly at the unfolding horror in Gaza.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe President\u2019s proposed sanctions on extremist Israeli ministers and settlers are long overdue but do not go far enough. For this to be effective, we also need to see sanctions against settler organisations to starve them of funds.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs von der Leyen\u2019s call for a partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement is also a half-baked measure \u2013 nothing short of the full suspension of this trade agreement is required to put real pressure on Netanyahu\u2019s murderous regime.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident von der Leyen\u2019s boast that EU aid to Gaza far outweighs that of any other partner is meaningless. Not only does Israel continue to exert full control over the distribution of food and emergency supplies, but its troops have brutally murdered innocent people as they queued for it.<\/p>\n
\u201cSimilarly, the European Commission President\u2019s commitment to set up a Palestinian Donor Group, including a dedicated instrument for Gaza reconstruction, will mean nothing if Israeli forces are not stopped by the international community from razing every building to the ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe EU has already suffered reputational damage due to its cowardly response to Israel\u2019s war crimes. Member states now need to step up to ensure Europe does not end up on the wrong side of history.\u201d<\/p>\n
September 10, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The European Commission President\u2019s proposed sanctions on Israel, while a belated step in the right direction, fall well short of what\u2019s required to stop the genocide in Gaza, according to Social Democrats foreign affairs spokesperson Patricia Stephenson. Senator Stephenson said: \u201cWe are now almost two years into this devastating conflict, which has left more than […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[736,529,718,641,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eu","category-gaza","category-israel","category-patricia-stephenson","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n